WORCESTER – A project would convert the former Waldo Street police station and Worcester District Court building into a mixed-use building with 44 apartments and a restaurant.
The City Council on Tuesday will consider an application from the city government to designate the former police station property, listed at 57 Exchange St., as a certified project under the state Housing Development Incentive Program and a tax increment waiver agreement for the property.
1 Exchange Place, the former Worcester Police Station, at Waldo and Exchange streets.
New Bedford-based developer CMK Development Partners, LLC is undertaking the project at the site, which is also known as 1 Exchange Place, according to a statement from City Manager Eric D. Batista.
The project includes a proposed $16 million reuse of the property. It would transform the approximately 48,000-square-foot, vacant mixed-use office and retail building into housing and a restaurant.
The units would consist of 26 studio apartments, 14 one-bedroom apartments, three two-bedroom apartments and one three-bedroom apartment. The city negotiated with the developer to include nine affordable units, more than the number of affordable units required under the city’s inclusionary zoning law.
Four of the affordable units would be studios capped at 60% of the area median income. Three other studios and two one-bedroom apartments would be limited to 80% of the average area income.
“This project aligns with statewide goals to repurpose vacant office space into residential units,” Batista wrote. “It also allows us to revitalize another underutilized downtown property with new vitality and feet on the street to support our small businesses.”
The developer plans to close financing and begin construction in the first quarter of 2025. Other funding sources have been secured in anticipation of HDIP assistance.
The HDIP program is designed to provide Gateway Cities with a tool to develop market-rate housing through tax incentives.
The proposed TIE plan has an annual exemption of 17% over 15 years. The developer has also agreed to comply with the city’s responsible development ordinance.
Batista recommends that the City Council send the tax incentives to the Standing Committee on Economic Development.
The property is a complex of three buildings: mainly the old Worcester Police Station and the Worcester District Court building, which dates from c. 1918, and the former fire station on Commercial Street, whose ownership records date from 1900. The two main buildings are connected by a courtyard.
The property was home to businesses such as the Citizen Wine Bar, Michael’s Cigar Bar and several law firms. In 2018, BradyMac Capital Advisory purchased the property for $2.5 million.
Tax hearing and Batista’s contract
The city council will also discuss two items that were postponed from the November 26 meeting.
One of the first things is the annual tax classification hearing. District 2 City Councilwoman Candy Mero-Carlson used her privilege as a councilwoman to postpone the hearing until Tuesday.
The council will also hold a board meeting, closed to the public, to discuss Batista’s proposed contract. A vote to announce, accept and adopt an agreement negotiated between the manager and the Standing Committee on Municipal and Legislative Operations was postponed by Mayor Joseph M. Petty until Tuesday.
If the previously negotiated three-year contract were to take effect, Batista’s starting salary would increase 3.7% to $293,868 as of December 31. He would then receive a 3.9% pay increase to $305,223 from July 1, 2025, and a 2.9% pay increase to $314,080. from July 1, 2026.
The proposed contract would be in effect until December 31, 2027.
A new provision in the proposed agreement stipulates that Batista’s annual base salary will at all times be $10,000 above the annual base salary of the next highest-paid city employee, including employees of Worcester Public Schools. There would be a monthly stipend of $1,500, after deducting all deductions for the cost of Batista’s personal car. His dismissal period would also be extended from six to twelve months.
Councilor orders
City council members also submitted several resolutions for Tuesday’s meeting:
District 5 City Council Member Etel Haxhiaj has two orders regarding sprinklers and the Washington Heights fire in June.
One order requests a summary of discussions with the apartment buildings’ architectural and engineering team regarding the installation of sprinklers for the buildings damaged by the fire. Another requests draft language for a House Rules petition to allow the city to opt into state legislation regarding automatic sprinkler systems in buildings that have been rehabilitated or substantially renovated.
Khrystian King, councilor and vice president of the City Council, is asking the city manager to conduct an equity audit of all city departments every five years.
Commercial vehicles require an ordinance request from District 3 Councilor George Russell. He is requesting an ordinance to prohibit commercial vehicles from parking throughout the city unless a commercial delivery driver is loading or unloading his vehicle or performing similar commercial activities.
Councilor Morris Bergman is requesting a report regarding street safety initiatives such as the Urban Mobility Action Plan and Vision Zero. The report asks about the metrics that will be used to evaluate its effectiveness, who will evaluate its effectiveness, how often evaluations will occur, and what types of options are available if desired results are not achieved.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Former Worcester police headquarters looking for 44 apartments, restaurant
